


Nothing But Dreams

by luthien82



Series: Lost My Heart in Mykonos [1]
Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Friendship, Heartbreak, Lykaon is a good friend, M/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27819940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luthien82/pseuds/luthien82
Summary: Lykaon is a healer at heart. So when someone pounds on his door in the middle of the night, he does the only thing he can: let them in and help as best he can.This is not an Alexios/Lykaon fic, but an exercise in exploring a potential friendship.
Relationships: Alexios & Lykaon friendship, Alexios/Thaletas (Assassin's Creed)
Series: Lost My Heart in Mykonos [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2039977
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Nothing But Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. Where have I been in the last few years, you might ask? And what is this fandom I’m writing in? Well essentially, I’ve bought a PS4 in 2017 and never looked back. Recently I started playing “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey”. I loved Alexios from the very start, he’s such a sarcastic little shit and I love him to death. At first, I was surprised that in-game you could basically sleep with anything under the sun. Hence Lykaon, who is adorable, and I thought, “Okay, that’s cool, Alexios is totally gay for all the nubile Greek men. I can see him settling down with Lykaon.”
> 
> And then came Thaletas.
> 
> I didn’t expect that. I didn’t expect a new fandom to creep up on me like that. It was supposed to be just a computer game. I only wanted to play the game! Yet here we are. Three years of nothing, no ideas for any kind of fics in any of my fandoms, let alone writing something. And then these two shits come along and get my creative juices flowing with their _canonical_ star-crossed lovers crap! And Thaletas isn’t even _in_ this fucking story. What is this bullshit, what am I doing?
> 
> I guess it’s clear that this story is a big spoiler for that whole in-game storyline. If not: **Spoilers for the game “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey”!** Read at your own peril.
> 
> I don’t know if this is the only thing I’ll ever write in this fandom. Heck, I was surprised _this_ story even happened. So you never know, right?
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Assassin’s Creed and all associated characters are the property of Ubisoft. No copyright infringement is intended, this has been written for fun.

It was very late when the knock came on his door.

It wasn’t unusual for someone to need him in the middle of the night, he was a healer after all. But when he opened the door, mentally preparing for some kind of catastrophe that warranted a healer in the first place, he did not expect the _misthios_. The man was drenched thanks to a sudden downpour, and he was shivering. But that wasn’t what gave him pause – it was the unshed tears.

“Alexios?” he asked, almost disbelieving.

Alexios clenched his jaw to suppress the shivering, then swallowed hard. Finally, he said in his rough voice, “If I broke your heart with my actions when we parted, Lykaon, I sincerely apologize.”

Leave it to Alexios to surprise him even further. Lykaon’s brow furrowed, and then his healer instincts kicked in and he reached out to Alexios. “I have no idea what this is about, but please come out of the rain, you’ll catch your death.”

“At this point, I’m not sure that wouldn’t be the greater kindness,” Alexios whispered, and then a tear fell.

Every alarm in Lykaon kicked in, and he pulled Alexios into the house and straight into his arms, not caring that he got soaked within seconds as well. Alexios, as if he had waited for some human kindness giving him the permission to be human as well, finally seemed to let go of whatever trauma had happened to him. He slung his arms around Lykaon, squeezed him almost too tightly to his chest, and started to sob.

It wasn’t loud, barely even recognizable as sobs if it weren’t for how tightly they were pressed together. Lykaon could feel every heave of Alexios’ body while he sobbed almost silently into his shoulder. This quiet misery and the need to conceal the pain he was in – it was just plain heartbreaking and _sad_.

Lykaon had no idea what had happened in the months since they’d parted, but whatever it was it had obviously wrecked Alexios. So he did the only thing he could: he swayed the _misthios_ slowly back and forth and ran a soothing hand over his neck and shoulder while he whispered into the dark that everything would be alright.

However, deep down, Lykaon wasn’t so sure. And judging from Alexios’ continued sobs, neither was he.

* * *

As all purging of poisons went, it ended eventually and Alexios’ sobs subsided. Lykaon could tell that he was embarrassed by his breakdown, sitting with his head down and staring into the fire, avoiding Lykaon’s gaze. He’d traded his armor for a dry tunic – Lykaon’s, but it fit Alexios surprisingly well despite his broad shoulders – and held a cup of hot tea in his hands, though he wasn’t drinking it. Knowing him, he probably suspected that Lykaon had mixed a mild sleeping draught into it, and he wasn’t yet ready to embrace Hypnos.

Just as well. Maybe Alexios was ready to talk after all. It might do him some good, especially after that greeting.

Lykaon wasn’t a fool. He’d known perfectly well what that night between them had been. He’d gone into it willingly, and it had been wonderful and life affirming, just as he’d hoped it would be. It gave him his resolve back: to heal, and only heal. Alexios had saved him from himself and his misplaced sense of duty to his deceiving grandmother. He would forever be grateful for what Alexios had done for him. But they had never talked about love, let alone a relationship. That was not what their night had been about. That night was about Alexios helping him, and it was his turn now to help Alexios, in whatever capacity he could.

Lykaon sat down next to Alexios, his own cup of tea in hand, minus the sleeping draught. He didn’t look at Alexios, knowing that the other man wouldn’t like that right now, and remained silent. After a few moments had passed, his patience paid off.

“I am truly sorry if I hurt your feelings back then, Lykaon. I’ve never thought twice about the people I leave behind, but…”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Alexios,” Lykaon assured him firmly, placing his hand on Alexios’ forearm to soothe his worry. He touched bare skin, which was a rare occurrence with the _misthios_. He was warm, and so full of life underneath his skin. Lykaon would be lying if he said he didn’t still find Alexios attractive, but what breathing human wouldn’t? In any case, it wasn’t about that for him anymore. “I knew what it was you were offering, and I wanted it all the same. You didn’t deceive me, and you certainly didn’t break my heart. You didn’t even bruise it, Alexios.”

The joke, albeit weak, still elicited a small smile from the _misthios_ , which Lykaon counted as a small victory. Before he lost ground, he continued, “If anything, you gave me myself back that night. You _helped_ me, Alexios. Helped me remember who I am, _what_ I am. I didn’t lose anything, far from it. I _gained_ a friend. A long-time friend, I hope?”

Alexios did look up at that. His gaze was as penetrating as it had ever been, but there was a pondering air about him. After what felt like an eternity, he nodded and looked back into the fire. Lykaon exhaled, relieved that Alexios, at least in this, was in agreement.

“So, as your _friend_ ,” he emphasized, “I’d like to know what hurt you so bad that you came all the way back to Phokis to apologize for something that didn’t need apologizing.” When Alexios froze, he added softly, “Or should I ask, _who_?”

He could feel the denial bubbling up in Alexios, waited to hear it and got his parry ready to refute it, but what came out of Alexios’ mouth was a soft, “Thaletas.”

Lykaon’s brain ground to a surprised halt, not having expected a name. He rearranged his counterarguments, tucked them away for another time, and pondered Alexios’ answer. “Sounds Spartan,” he finally settled on.

Alexios snorted, seemingly involuntary. “As Spartan as they come,” he confirmed, not sounding happy about that at all.

They fell silent once again, Lykaon not wanting to push. Alexios was stubborn, he knew that much from their past encounter, brief as it may have been. But Lykaon was a healer, and a good one at that. He was patient, and that patience rarely let him down.

It didn’t fail him this time either. Lykaon wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but eventually, Alexios started his tale with, “I’d never been to Mykonos, you know? I didn’t expect it to be such a beautiful island. When I first landed, I thought that I’d like to visit it many more times in the future, but after what happened… I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Just the thought of having to return there makes me violently _angry_.”

If the words hadn’t given Lykaon a clue, the clenched fist and gritted teeth would have. So whatever had happened between Alexios and this Thaletas, it had happened on Mykonos.

The farthest Lykaon had ever traveled was to the Pythia in Delphi, so he couldn’t even imagine what Mykonos might look like, but he took Alexios’ word for it. For the _misthios_ , who had traveled the Greek world far and wide, to be so enamored with the island, it must have been breathtaking. He wondered if this Thaletas was as breathtaking as the isle, for Alexios to lose his head like this. He didn’t have to wait long for an answer.

“I came because the island’s rebel faction had asked for my help. What I didn’t know at the time was that they had sent the same missive to the Spartans, who had also come to lend aid. I only found out when I ran headfirst into a fight on the beach between Athenians and Spartans. That’s where I met him. He was… _magnificent_.”

The last word was barely more than a whisper, but the reverence was as clear as day. Lykaon ached for his friend, suddenly sure that whatever had happened, it had severely injured Alexios. The sad part was, it wasn’t a wound that Lykaon could heal, for all his medical proficiency.

“We fought together on that beach, bled together, and won. I…,” Alexios trailed off, seemingly unsure how to continue. After a moment he laughed. “I wanted to smack him for his arrogance, and then kiss him for it in the same breath. More fool me, because he was already in a relationship when I met him on that beach. With the rebel leader, Kyra.” He paused, then added quietly, “It didn’t stop me from wanting to kiss him anyway.”

Lykaon was right. This wasn’t a wound he could heal. But as with all festering wounds, it needed to bleed until all the poison had left the body. With this type of wound, all he could do was offer a listening ear.

“I had myself convinced that I should finish my business on the isle and leave, after all I hadn’t come to the island for a romance. But then… I had retrieved a helmet from a shipwreck before I met either of them. Turned out it was something of sentimental value to Thaletas, and the look he gave me when I returned it…” Alexios trailed off, seemingly lost in thought. He visibly shook himself out of the memory and added, “I knew then that there was _something_ between us.”

“Something physical?” Lykaon asked quietly, giving Alexios the option to ignore it if he so chose.

But Alexios just laughed and shook his head, his gaze full of mirth when it met Lykaon’s. “Oh, _that_ had been there from the very beginning. There was a rousing speech he held for his men and which I mocked him for, and it was very clear in that moment that we found each other _extremely_ physically attractive.” The mirth left Alexios’ eyes when he fell back into the memory, and Lykaon mourned its loss. The heavy air of heartbreak settled back on Alexios’ shoulders and Lykaon suppressed a sigh.

“I think I could have lived with just a physical thing, a one-time deal, if I hadn’t opened myself up to more. But when the days passed and I got to know him better and better, the more I felt… _drawn_ to him. And I could tell that he was just as drawn to me. It wasn’t one-sided. It _wasn’t_.”

Lykaon bit his lip. It sounded like Alexios was trying to convince himself more than Lykaon, but he wasn’t fool enough to say so. He let Alexios be and took a sip of his tea, now tepid and a little bitter. How fitting for this conversation.

“Did you know that it is forbidden to shed blood or even die on Delos?” Alexios’ question came out of the blue, and Lykaon had no idea where he would go with this line of questioning, but he decided to play along and shook his head.

Alexios huffed a small laugh. “It’s the sister island to Mykonos, and whenever a death or something involving blood might occur on Delos, they ship their problem over to Mykonos. What a ridiculous practice.” Alexios shook his head. “Of course, _that_ was the place Thaletas chose to finally confess his feelings for me. And with _flower petals_ of all things, the romantic fool. Didn’t make it easy for me either. He wanted me to beat him in combat to _claim his heart_. His words.”

There was another lengthy pause, one Lykaon did not dare break lest he get the rest of the story. Once again, his patience paid off and Alexios said with a wistful twist to his mouth, “So we fought, we even shed some blood – don’t tell the Delians – and then we made love.”

Not _fucked_ , then. _Made love_. Poor Alexios.

“It was different than anything I’d done with anyone before then.” He cast an apologetic look at Lykaon, probably realizing that he was rhapsodizing to a former lover about the new one, lost as he might be to Alexios now.

Lykaon waved his concern away. “Do not worry, Alexios. While our night together has been very satisfying, I haven’t been pining for a repeat performance.”

That tickled a brief smile out of the other man, there and gone again before his gaze returned to his tea. “I wish I could say the same for my desire to bed him again.”

Lykaon’s heart ached for his friend, and he wished not for the first time that night that he could do something more for him than just listen to his tale. It seemed to help Alexios, however, and that was all that mattered.

“I keep thinking that it went wrong after that day,” Alexios finally continued after some time. He seemed lost in thought, rotating the cup of tea in his hands without drinking it. “I don’t exactly know how, or when. When he asked me about my past and I couldn’t answer him? When he asked me to go with him and fight by his side, and I couldn’t even though there was nothing that I wanted to do more? I don’t know, I just… don’t know.”

Alexios sighed, staring into the cup as if it held the answers. Finally, he shook his head. “I thought we had an understanding, that when the war is over, we will meet again and see what this thing between us can grow into. I was prepared to be _chaste_ until we met again. But then…” There was pain on his face, and Lykaon ached with him. 

“There was a party, celebrating our victory. I had fulfilled my contract, and the people wanted to commemorate their freedom from their Athenian suppressor. It was only a few moments after I had said my goodbyes to Thaletas, and what I assumed to be our promise of a future together. But then I learned that Thaletas and Kyra had decided to rule the isles together. As romantic partners. And she thanked me for teaching Thaletas a few things. She fucking _thanked_ me, as if I was nothing more than a whore paid to teach a lover a few tricks before he went off to please his true love.” He sucked in a breath, held it, then exhaled slowly. “I felt so fucking _betrayed_.”

Lykaon couldn’t fault him for that. Anyone in his shoes would. Still, he had to ask, “What did Thaletas say?”

Alexios scoffed. “He didn’t say _anything_. Guess that was my answer to what he really felt about me. About _us_.” Alexios sounded so bitter, and Lykaon’s heart ached for his friend.

Knowing what he knew of Spartans, they weren’t exactly supportive of men loving other men. Granted, Athenians only accepted it under certain circumstances as well, but at least it wasn’t something that was forbidden outright. He sensed that maybe this Thaletas had chosen the path of least resistance instead of what was in his heart, especially in light of what Alexios had just told him about how the man had confessed his infatuation. Flower petals, indeed. No man who didn’t feel at least something would go to so much trouble.

However, Lykaon doubted that Alexios could see that right now, in his grief for what was lost.

Before he could decide whether he should tell Alexios his thoughts on the matter or just offer him another comforting embrace, Alexios finally raised the cup of tea with the sleeping draught and swallowed it down in one go. He carefully set the cup on the floor and stood up, the conversation clearly over for him. “Thank you for listening, Lykaon. I know it must’ve been difficult to listen to this.”

“Not at all, Alexios,” Lykaon assured, standing up as well and suppressing the urge to hug the other man. “I wish I could do more to help.”

Alexios’ smile was small and sad, and he patted Lykaon’s shoulder when he walked past him to the pallet on the floor that would be his resting place for the night. Lykaon watched him lie down, pull a blanket over himself and curl up like a child. The air of sadness surrounding him was almost as physical as the blanket he had curled up in. Lykaon sighed, shook his head and gathered the cups together. He paused when he was done, debating whether to say something or not, but he would never forgive himself if he didn’t speak up.

“No matter what you might think right now, Alexios,” he said in the end, quiet yet firm, “but you are deserving of love. And you didn’t deserve to be treated like that, no matter what you might or might not have done.” And with those parting words, he went to his own room and his own bed.

* * *

When he got up in the morning, the pallet in the front room was empty and Alexios’ gear was gone. Lykaon sighed, not really surprised that the _misthios_ had left without a word. He’d known last night that this whole episode was embarrassing for the other man, but he had hoped nonetheless that Alexios would at least take a day to recover before he went out into the world again.

Lykaon shook his head and went to put the pallet away. When he approached it, he saw a piece of parchment carefully tucked into the folds of the blanket. He crouched down and opened it, surprised by the almost lengthy missive, considering how taciturn Alexios usually was.

_Lykaon,_ it read.

_Thank you for last night. I have to go and take care of some pressing business, but I did not want to leave without a parting word. If last night has shown me anything, then that you are a true friend. Whether or not I deserve you is up to you and the Gods, and as both of you seem to have deigned me worthy, I will take advantage._

_Before I met Thaletas, I had never been in love. I am still unsure that it is love, as the days we were together have been too few to really be sure. But I have never felt for anyone the things I feel for him, so I must assume that it is love._

_You said I didn’t leave you broken or even bruised. I wish I could say the same. He did leave me bruised, and yes he also left me a little broken. But after last night I have faith that I will be alright, in the future. Maybe with a few more scars, but I will be alright, thanks to you. So thank you, for your kindness and your generosity. You are truly the best healer I have ever known._

_Your friend,_  
_Alexios_

“Oh, you sentimental fool,” Lykaon whispered, but he was smiling.

He had every confidence that his friend would be alright. It might take a while, maybe longer than Alexios realized right now, but he would be. He was resilient, if nothing else. But still, Lykaon hoped to see Alexios again. After all, he wouldn’t be half the healer he was if he didn’t follow up on his patients and make sure they were all healed up.

And maybe, just maybe, things between these two idiots would work out in the end.

Stranger things had happened, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> It's been so long that I forgot how to tag _and_ how to use HTML. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad sign...


End file.
